March 31, 2014
Minnesota Soy Group supports US pork in Japan
A team representing the Minnesota Soy Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC) had a three-day tour of the Japanese pork industry with an in-depth view of US pork in Japan from processors to retail to food service to consumer outreach.
The 15-person team, led by Mankato, Minnesota-based Minnesota Soy Executive Director Tom Slunecka and Minnesota Soy Growers Association Vice President Joel Schreurs of Tyler, Minnesota, undertook an ambitious schedule guided by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) team in Japan that included: (i) a US Embassy briefing on the Japan market; (ii) separate briefings by USMEF-Japan and the US Soy Export Council; (iii) a meeting with a buyer from Ito Yokado, Japan''s second-largest supermarket chain, and an opportunity to observe the chain''s current US pork promotion; (iv) a tour of Nihon Butsuryu, Japan''s largest cold storage facility, the arrival point for much of the US pork exported to Japan; (v) participation in an event with Japanese bloggers who were introduced to new US pork recipes and preparation techniques by celebrity cooking specialist Rika Yukimasa; (vi) a working dinner with several US porkexporters at Bintje, a Japanese restaurant that unveiled a variety of new US pork dishes on its menu utilising cushion meat and CT butts; (vii) a visit to Yonekya, a ham and sausage manufacturing plant that mainly utilizes US pork, including loin, butt, picnics and ground seasoned pork, and a meeting with Yonekya buyers; and (viii) tour of MaxValu Tokai, a regional supermarket chain that features US pork.
Takemichi Yamashoji, senior marketing director for USMEF-Japan said: "This visit was designed to show the breadth of programmes that the Pork Checkoff, the USDA Market Access Programme (MAP) and Minnesota Soy have supported here, ranging from the point of arrival for pork shipments to processors, retailers, food service outlets and a very active blogger community."
The session with the Japanese bloggers was a demonstration of the interest they have in USpork as well as the immediate response that the social media initiative can generate. The group of 14 bloggers in the programme reaches a broad audience of Japanese homemakers who look to them for information and advice on food selection and preparation.
"Social media is an integral part of our consumer communications programme," said Tazuko Hijikata, USMEF-Japan''s senior manager for consumer affairs. In addition to programmes it develops for independent bloggers, USMEF-Japanutilises social media networks for promotion of US red meat.